Fun with New Friends

Now that I am back in Denver I am looking towards the future.  My bus radiator fan has yet to be fixed.  After taking the fan and pulley system off the bus I found, with the help of a local machine shop, that my bearings are good.  It is the shaft that is jacked up.  The previous fix was shoddy.  The bearings wore grooves into the shaft, which caused undesired movement, which in turn, caused my belts to keep falling off.  So now my bus has no radiator fan and finding the replacement part for a 1972 bus is next to impossible.  Fabricating a new part looks to be my best route and it seems like an expensive one at that.
In the meantime, I have been doing some work for Dan.   I am parked in the RV storage lot (or as I like to refer to it - the private gated community).  I have had the opportunity to enjoy some of what Denver has to offer.  I reunited with a small group that I had briefly hung out with before leaving for Eastern Colorado.  They have been a blast and enjoy doing the types of things I do.  Over the past week some of us had a get together to celebrate Amanda taking her board exams for medical school.  It was a great time visiting.  It is amazing that each time this group meets I am introduced to wonderful new people.  It reminds me of the theory of Six degrees of Separation (Google it).
Here are some pics from Daniel's rooftop.

Another fun event was going to Film on the Rocks.  This was actually a pretty big deal for me.  My favorite band, U2, performed a very famous concert that was taped here in the 80's.  The venue is Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the outskirts of Denver.  The place was more awesome than I expected.  It is large but intimate.  It is far and away the best amphitheater I have ever seen.  The best seating is actually higher up.  This will give you the dual benefit of enjoying the show and seeing the Denver landscape for miles.  Words fail to accurately capture the moment.  It is one of those things that must be experienced to understand.  The film presented was Edward Scissorhands.  The movie was enhanced by a sort of audience participation, not the distracting type that detracted from the film.  Cheers when Johnny Depp's character is first introduced and so on.  The people I went with are great.  Clearly they have good taste, (not just for inviting me), but for choosing such a fun event to attend.   The show on July 5 is Top Gun.  Maybe I can convince a few people to go.
Here is a glimpse of Film on the Rocks

 The parking lot

Film on the Rocks crowd or as I call it Going to the movies with the beautiful people.

Right now I am gearing up for a fourth of July weekend camping expedition.  Really looking forward to this as well.  I will be tent camping as my bus sits crippled in Denver.  I will be bringing my dog and I think I have someone to watch after my cat.  Going to be doing a little primitive camping, my favorite variety.  I might even be able to break out the giant inner tubes I have be hauling around with me waiting for a river to beckon them.  Pictures will be posted shortly after my return.  I love this.  I don't know what my camera will capture but I already know it will be good.  And that folks is the story of my life.

Music Video Montage for Eastern Colorado Trip

This is are an assortment of clips from my time out in Idalia with one of my favorite songs from U2 playing as the soundtrack.    Enjoy.

Random Pics from Idalia

I am trying to wrap up the post regarding Idalia before it becomes ancient history.  I am more about living in the present and sometimes even in the future than I am the past.  I have one more video compilation after this post.

My time in Idalia was an experience in solitude.  I classify it as a worthwhile endeavor that I will not soon be repeating.  I do not believe people are meant to be totally alone for long periods of time.  In fact, on more than one occasion, I felt like I was on house arrest with the extra penalty of solitary confinement.  The only reasons those feelings cropped up was because I knew my bus was dangerously near a major catastrophe if I drove it and I was totally dependent on someone bringing me groceries every two weeks.
I believe that a month would have been plenty long enough.  That it last two and a half months was pushing the limits.  I don't see how inmates keep their sanity.  I am betting it is because they at least have social interaction with each other.

I don't want to give the wrong impression.  I consider my time in Idalia as a mostly wonderful series of events.  I saw weather that I have never seen before.  An abundance of wildlife that kept me wondering what the new day would bring.  The freedom to dress or undress as I pleased.  I had a second to none work environment for the bus.  The upgrades to the interior of the bus have made a world of difference in style and function.  Although I am worried that fixing up the interior while the motor is having such issues might be akin to putting lipstick on a pig.   I had unlimited electricity, running water and hot showers.  Things that have become a scarcity for me.  But I found myself taking them for granted within a few short weeks.  Now that I am back I appreciate again how good it was to not have to worry for 2 and a half months about those things.

Here are a few more pics for you.

Cat Nap in the basement

One morning I got crazy with breakfast. 4 Scrambled eggs with cheese, Pancakes, fried potato slices, generic Mt Dew,  coffee (made into mocha coffee by the addition of the chocolate syrup), a banana, a whole orange of orange wedges.  (you won't find this kitchen table in any IKEA)

Building in some new cabinets

The difference a little Danish oil makes

I removed the rails from inside and brushed them with some gloss white

 This was my dishwasher.  Actually I was the dishwasher, this was my sink.  Which also doubled as my washing machine.

That is a handsome girl

She has great poise, even with chocolate twizzler nugget on her nose

I got a kick out of the rabbits, they would freeze if I got close, as if I didn't see them.  I didn't see them often though because my wandering dog liked to chase them.

I became more aware of animal trails.  This is the one I suspect the 'bobcat in the yard' used to get up to the house.  My shadow in the picture is intentional.  The placement of the water bottle was not.

This made me think long and hard about flip flops being my preferred footwear.

A couple of Turkey Vultures on the barn

My foyer, prior to new floor installation.

Adding a little class to the front of the bus

And also to the steps

And here is one of the windiest days while I was out there.  Quite a dust storm.

Typical Storm Chasing Day

Here is a glimpse of me storm chasing...on foot.  The audio could be better but I think you will get an accurate sense of my environment.  The scenes where I spot a funnel cloud beginning to drop are difficult to see due to the poor zoom of my camera.  Also the wind was so strong it was difficult to steady the camera.  In the second clip I am hugging a telephone pole while holding the camera in order to even out the shot.   The real purpose of this video is to give you the sense of what it was like to do what I was doing.
Here is a little Geography lesson to illustrate the lay of the land...aerial map courtesy of Google.